The present invention relates to a knitted fabric that is forked right and left at a certain point of the knitting width and to a knitting method thereof. Particularly, the present invention relates to a knitted fabric having a forked portion having enhanced strength and to a knitting method thereof.
The knitted fabrics forked right and left at a certain point of the knitting width include a V-neck vest and a V-neck sweater. When wearing the knitwear having the forked portion whose knitted fabric is forked right and left at a certain point of the knitting width, first and second knitted regions into which the knitted fabric is parted right and left at the forked portion are pulled transversely and the transverse tensile force is exerted on the forked portion. When a large tensile force in excess of the yarn""s stretch is exerted on the yarn in the forked portion, the yarn is cut off.
For example, when a front body of a V-neck vest is knitted, the front body is knitted in full width until the course at the forked portion of the vest by using one yarn feeder, first. Then, it is knitted so that it can be forked into the right shoulder portion and the left shoulder portion from the forked portion to form a neck portion.
The right shoulder portion is knitted by using the same yarn feeder as one that has been used so far for the full width knitting, while on the other hand, the left shoulder portion is knitted by using another yarn feeder in lieu of the yarn feeder that has been used so far.
Reference is given to three typical knitting methods for forming the forked portion in the process of knitting the front body of the V-neck sweater.
The first one is the knitting method wherein the front body is knitted to be simply forked into the right shoulder portion 104 and the left shoulder portion 102 from the forked portion 101, as shown in the loop diagram of the knitted fabric 100 shown in FIG. 8.
The second one is the knitting method wherein a pair of right and left stitch loops 112, 110 on the front side of a knitted fabric 106, which confront each other across a forked portion 108, are crossed to each other across the boundary X of the forked portion 108, as shown in the loop diagram of the knitted fabric 106 shown in FIG. 9.
The third one is the knitting method wherein two stitch loops 122 and 124, and 126 and 128 for each of the right and left sides of the knitted fabric 118 are crossed to each other across the boundary X of the forked portion 120, as shown in the loop diagram of the knitted fabric 118 shown in FIG. 10.
Those conventional knitting methods described above have the following disadvantages, however.
First, in the first knitting method, the right shoulder portion 104 and the left shoulder portion 102 are joined at the forked portion 101 by a piece of yarn. This knitting method has the disadvantage that only a piece of the yarn cannot provide a satisfactory tensile strength for the forked portion 101.
Second, in the second knitting method, since the right shoulder portion 116 and the left shoulder portion 114 are joined at the forked portion 108 by a total of four parts of yarn in the pair of right and left stitch loops 110, 112, the traverse tensile force acting on the forked portion 108 is dispersed over those four parts of yarn and, as a result of this, the knitted fabric can have strength four times as more as the knitted fabric whose right and left shoulder portions are joined at the forked portion by a piece of yarn, as the knitted fabric shown in FIG. 8. In addition, since the pair of right and left stitch loops 110, 112 are simply crossed to each other, the stitch loops 110, 112 thus crossed are not separated with respect to the thickness direction, when viewed from the top, and thus the appearance of the knitted fabric is not impaired substantially.
However, depending on the variety including kinds of yarns used, there may still be the cases where unsatisfactory tensile strength may be provided for the forked portion by simply crossing the pair of right and left stitch loops across the boundary of the forked portion.
Finally, in the third knitting method, since the right shoulder portion and the left shoulder portion are joined at the forked portion 120 by a total of eight parts of yarn in the two stitch loops 122, 124, 126, 128 for each of the right side and the left side, the traverse tensile force acting on the forked portion is dispersed over those eight parts of yarn and, as a result of this, the forked portion 120 of the knitted fabric can have enhanced strength. However, in this knitting method, since two stitch loops 122 and 124, and 126 and 128 for each of the right and left sides at the front side of the knitted fabric are crossed, the paired right and left stitch loops 122 and 124, and 126 and 128 thus crossed are separated largely with respect to the thickness direction, when the forked portion is viewed from the top, and thus the appearance of the knitted fabric is impaired.
It is the object of the invention to provide a knitting method that can solve the problems involved in the prior art mentioned above and can provide enhanced strength of a forked portion of a knitted fabric without impairing the appearance. It is another object of the invention to provide a knitted fabric having a forked portion having good appearance and enhanced strength.
To accomplish the objects mentioned above, the present invention provides a method of knitting a knitted fabric which is forked into a first knitting region and a second knitting region at a certain point of its knitting width by using a flat knitting machine comprising at least a pair of front and back needle beds, which are placed with their front ends confronting each other and at least either of which is racked laterally with respect to the other needle bed, and at least two yarn feeders arranged over the at least the pair of needle beds, the knitting method comprising:
1) the step that prior to the knitted fabric being forked, a pair of right and left widening stitch loops that confront each other across the forked portion are formed at the back side of the knitted fabric during a course knitting of the knitted fabric; and
2) the step that two groups of stitch loops, consisting of a pair of right and left stitch loops that are formed at a front side of the knitted fabric and confront each other across the forked portion and the pair of right and left widening stitch loops formed in the step 1, are crossed to each other across a boundary of the forked portion.
Preferably, the step of crossing the two groups of stitch loops to each other is taken in the order in which the pair of right and left stitch loops that are formed at the front side of the knitted fabric and confront each other across the forked portion are crossed to each other by transference, so as to change in position, first, and, then, the widening stitch loops formed in the step 1 are crossed to each other and laid over the stitch loops on the front side as were transferred across the boundary of the forked portion, respectively.
Also, the present invention provides a knitted fabric having a forked portion, which is knitted by using a flat knitting machine and is forked right and left into a first knitting region and a second knitting region at a certain point of its knitting width, and wherein a pair of right and left widening stitch loops that confront each other across the forked portion and are formed at the back side of the knitted fabric and a pair of right and left stitch loops that confront each other across the forked portion and are formed at a front side of the knitted fabric are crossed to each other across the forked portion and are overlaid with each other, respectively.
Further, the present invention provides a method of knitting a knitted fabric having a forked portion which is forked into a first knitting region and a second knitting region at a certain point of its knitting width by using a flat knitting machine comprising at least a pair of front and back needle beds, which are placed with their front ends confronting each other and at least either of which is racked laterally with respect to the other needle bed, and at least two yarn feeders arranged over the at least the pair of needle beds, wherein the forked portion comprises at least one forked side end loop located in a center of the forked portion and crossing loop groups located at both sides of the at least one forked side end loop and confronting each other across the at least one forked side end loop and wherein the at least one forked side end loop and a loop of one of the crossing loop groups are overlaid with each other in such a manner that the other crossing loop group can be sandwiched between the least one forked side end loop and the one crossing loop group, the knitting method comprising:
1) the step that the crossing loop groups are each moved across a boundary of the forked portion and are overlaid with each other; and
2) the step that the at least one forked side end loop and any loop of the one crossing loop group are overlaid with each other.
Also, the present invention provides a knitted fabric having a forked portion, which is knitted by using a flat knitting machine and is forked right and left into a first knitting region and a second knitting region at a certain point of its knitting width, and wherein the forked portion comprises at least one forked side end loop located in a center of the forked portion and crossing loop groups located at both sides of the at least one forked side end loop and confronting each other across the at least one forked side end loop, and wherein the at least one forked side end loop and a loop of one of the crossing loop groups are overlaid with each other in such a manner that the other crossing loop group can be sandwiched between the least one forked side end loop and the one crossing loop group.